Did McDaniel campaign know about video before statement?

posted at 9:21 am on May 19, 2014 by Ed Morrissey

Jazz related the horrible story emerging from the Mississippi GOP primary for the US Senate over the weekend, but the case of Clayton Kelly got a little stranger since Saturday. The Chris McDaniel campaign has had to backtrack on its initial statement of total ignorance of Kelly’s activities, and Breitbart’s Matthew Boyle reports that they may have known about the video for three weeks before its explosion in the media:

“Someone has created a video about Thad and Kay,” Sojourner wrote in the email, a partially redacted version of which was provided to Breitbart News. “It must come down ASAP. Does anyone know where this came from?”

Sojourner was responding to a video posted online by Clayton Thomas Kelly, 28, a blogger who had been compiling documents and other information about Cochran’s relationship with his executive assistant, Kay Webber. …

“If I find out anyone associated with our staff had anything to do with this it is immediate grounds for dismissal,” Sojourner wrote in the April 26 email. “We have to know we cannot engage in these attacks.”

It’s the date that’s the problem. The e-mail itself tends to corroborate the McDaniel campaign response that they have no connection to Kelly. However, they also insisted that they knew nothing about the video until just before everyone else noticed that Kelly creeped into the nursing home to take video or photos of the vulnerable Mrs. Cochran, suffering from advanced dementia. Boyle explains:

McDaniel’s campaign adamantly denies having any communications with Kelly before he illicitly entered Rose Cochran’s room. But Cochran’s campaign and officials at the National Republican Senatorial Committee are pushing for more information from the campaign after a series of facts undermined its top official’s – including McDaniel’s – insistence they knew nothing the incident when initially asked by the media about it Saturday morning.

The intent was to spread the rumor that Thad Cochran had engaged in an extramarital affair, which would hardly be news among politicians in Washington DC. For a man whose wife has been hopelessly bedridden for more than a decade, such an attack would be at best problematic, and more likely to focus attention on the mud-tossers than the target anyway. But breaking into a nursing home to take advantage of a woman who cannot defend herself in any possible way just to get unnecessary visual images for such a cheap attack? That’s a political disaster.

One can therefore understand why the McDaniel campaign did a top-to-bottom scouring to make sure none of their staff had any connection with Kelly or this despicable attack. But if that were the case, then why did no one at Team McDaniel just say on Saturday that they’d been doing their own investigation and (a) found no connection to Kelly, or (b) fired anyone connected to him? It’s a lot simpler to tell the truth, especially when a paper trail apparently exists attesting to it.

Sen. Thad Cochran’s campaign has released a voice mail from opponent Chris McDaniel’s campaign manager, state Sen. Melanie Sojourner, to Cochran campaign manager Kirk Sims about the arrest of a political blogger accused of sneaking into the nursing home room of Cochran’s bedridden wife and posting images of her.

The Cochran campaign says the message appears to contradict the McDaniel campaign’s statements that it knew nothing before the arrest about the blogger and McDaniel supporter. …

Sojourner initially tells Sims in the Saturday voice message that “We don’t know this guy. We have no idea who he is.”

But then later she says: “There was some stuff several months ago where this guy was doing some insane stuff online. We found out about it and Chris and I immediately sicced a bunch of volunteers trying to find out who was the source of just a lot of ugly rumors and nasty stuff and we wanted it squashed …”

That could just mean that they’d heard Kelly was off the reservation a few months ago, and not about specific knowledge of this particular effort. But that also doesn’t square up well with the categorical denial from McDaniel and his team over the weekend, either. At best, this looks like amateur hour.

The man who broke into the nursing home where Thad Cochran’s wife has lived for the past 14 years remains in jail, but police aren’t sitting still:

Clayton Kelly, the man accused of entering Sen. Thad Cochran’s wife Rose’s nursing home room and taking pictures which were posted to the internet, remains jailed on $100,000 bond after his initial appearance Sunday afternoon.

Judge Dale Danks told the court he was upholding Kelly’s current bond, but scheduled a preliminary hearing for Thursday.

Kelly is charged with exploitation of a vulnerable adult after police said he gained access to St. Catherine’s Village, a nursing home in Madison, and to Rose Cochran’s room. He then allegedly took pictures of her that he posted on his blog, “Constitutional Clayton.”

A representative of the Madison Police Department said there are other individuals in the case that they’d like to talk to “who might have been part of a conspiracy.” At this point, police won’t comment further, citing the ongoing investigation.

Kelly got arraigned this morning, with the allegation of a “possible conspiracy” part of the proceedings:

If police are looking at a conspiracy, then Kelly’s in bigger trouble than it first appeared. And so will be anyone connected to him.

This makes zero sense for McDaniel to be involved. I think the police investigation into possible conspiracy is good but it shouldn’t go on forever leaving the suspicion on Sen. McDaniel. So how should Ms. Sojourner have handled the initial knowledge? Call Sen. Cochran to let him know of the video’s existence?

I don’t know if McDaniel was involved or not, but whomever decided it would be a good idea to film someone suffering from advanced dementia is nothing but a piece of garbage. If you don’t realize that is a line you don’t cross, there’s something wrong with you. That’s awful to exploit the poor woman for nothing but some perceived political gain.

It sounds as though the McDaniel team wasn’t involved, but figured any news about Kelly that got out would be spun badly for their campaign and opted not to say anything, in hopes the problem would stay behind the scenes at least until primary election day. Not a malicious move, but a dumb one for any Republican politician to make, because even if your primary opponent doesn’t find out about it, odds are the media will make a major deal about it before the general election in November.

Mom’s in a nursing home with advanced dementia. It wouldn’t take any planning at all to walk in, sign the visitor’s log and take a picture of her. It would be wrong but it would be easy to do.

Someone floated the idea that the point was to embarrass the current congressman for gallivanting around with a female staffer while his wife goes unvisited. If that was the intent, it would have been more effective and kinder to just to show the visitor’s log.

Sojourner initially tells Sims in the Saturday voice message that “We don’t know this guy. We have no idea who he is.”

Didn’t Kelly interview McDaniels before? One can always go with “enthusiastic but misguided supporter who must answer for his actions” root, but don’t disavow all knowledge of him. At least, it makes you look ignorant.

Kelly was a recognized McMcDaniel supporter – what better way for Cochran to get an edge over McDaniel than to have Kelly “break in”, and then try, as the Cochran campaign is desperately doing, to somehow connect Kelly’s actions to McDaniel?

You see, that’s my big mistake. I keep expecting our side to act like sane people with even an once of class. And I keep getting let down. Sen. Cochran could have accepted Sen. McDaniel’s word and then been doubly horrified if it turned out that they were involved. He could play the victim card twice. Instead I bet he and the NRSC are fundraising off of it.

Ed, your headline is deceptive and I seriously think you and Jazz are pushing the Cochran angle on your readers.

A better headline would reflect the fact as per Matthew Boyle’s article (which you referenced) that the video had been circulating in MS political circles since April.

I re-post here a comment I made at Brietbart:

This tells me more about the Cochran Campaign than it does about McDaniel.

It is a story of an overzealous blogger who wanted to break a big story and did not care how he did it. Nothing obtained so far indicates he had any link with the McDaniel Campaign aside a picture he took with him, which hundreds of other people have taken.

This article indicates that the story has been circulating in Mississippi since April and just re-surfaced a few days ago when the blogger was arrested.

So why would Cochran seek to amplify the story further by accusing his opponent, McDaniel, when he doesn’t have any proof to tie him to it? If he truly cared about his wife, he would have allowed the police to do their job.

Unfortunately, with the Cochran/Barbour political machine, everything must be manipulated to obtain maximum political benefit. Dirty politics at its worst.

I blockered them. But thanks for the response and effort. I won’t complain again about auto-play if you guys are actually making an effort to prevent it.

NotCoach on May 19, 2014 at 9:31 AM

I’m generally using Chrome when I access Hot Air, and there’s a ‘click-to-play’ option in the plug-ins setting. This means clicking on video you DO want to see, but I don’t think I’ve ever had an auto-play run.

Color me highly skeptical that the McDaniel campaign had anything to do with this nonsense. It looks like the handiwork of a young and stupid person who wanted to earn his chops as an avant guarde activist. The Cochran campaing is simply making hay of the stupidity.

The NRSC has an targeted interest in thwarting McDaniel, who has been supported by the Senate Conservatives Fund and the Club for Growth. The NRSC should be ashamed of itself in jumping on the trashing-wagon to support Cochran, who should have retired some time ago.

Maybe Cochran should address the alleged relationship with his “executive assistant” and the associated travel expenses with the same zeal he is using to attack McDaniel.

And isn’t it about time he retire to tend to family matters like caring for his wife?

Sorry, but I do not have sympathy for someone who has spent 40+ years in DC and still wants to stay and feed at the public trough. Especially when that somebody has a corrupt political machine (Barbour) behind him.

It is a shame that Cochran’s wife suffers from dementia. It is also a shame that Cochran lives with his mistress Mrs. Webber who travels with him and is also on his PAYROLL, duh!

Haley Barbour has announced in the past his plans to replace Cochran when he retires. He told McDaniel that “he would hand him his head on a platter” when McDaniel went against him in the state on the issue of eminent domain if he ran for Cochran’s seat.

This is corrupt Haley Barbour’s Mississippi. The same corrupt Haley
Barbour that is Fast Terry McAuliffe’s drinking buddy and allowed him to pull off his Greentech Automotive Scandal in the state.

Maybe Cochran should address the alleged relationship with his “executive assistant” and the associated travel expenses with the same zeal he is using to attack McDaniel.

And isn’t it about time he retire to tend to family matters like caring for his wife?

Sorry, but I do not have sympathy for someone who has spent 40+ years in DC and still wants to stay and feed at the public trough. Especially when that somebody has a corrupt political machine (Barbour) behind him.

TheRightMan on May 19, 2014 at 10:13 A

For one thing, there may not be anything for him to address, period. And even if there is, that doesn’t excuse the wretched behavior displayed by those who filmed his wife. The time he’s spent in DC should have no impact on that either.

The NRSC should stay out of primaries and then jump on board with whoever the people vote for, no matter if they like them or not. I’ll never forget that they endorsed Charlie Crist over Rubio. Rubio may not be perfect but he sure as heck isn’t Charlie Crist.

I’m sorry Ed. I would not be the least bit surprised to find out the the corrupt gopE machine hired this nut.

You’re not “sorry” at all. You’re a tinfoil hatted nutball for hurling the accusation. Kelly’s twitter feed is full of McDaniel support, going back several months. To accuse establishment Republicans of precipitating this incident is Truther-grade douchebaggery.

Kelly was a recognized McMcDaniel supporter – what better way for Cochran to get an edge over McDaniel than to have Kelly “break in”, and then try, as the Cochran campaign is desperately doing, to somehow connect Kelly’s actions to McDaniel?

Right. And Lee Harvey Oswald was a patsy set up by J. Edgar Hoover and the CIA. And 9/11 was an inside job.

I’m sorry Ed. I would not be the least bit surprised to find out the the corrupt gopE machine hired this nut.

Jayrae on May 19, 2014 at 10:45 AM

To accuse establishment Republicans of precipitating this incident is Truther-grade douchebaggery.

KingGold on May 19, 2014 at 10:56 AM

Jayrae isn’t “accusing” anyone.

The GOP is desperate to keep Cochran in office – I don’t think that the GOP is behind this, but, I also don’t think that they are above this sort of thing. Cochran trying to connect Kelly’s actions to McDaniel, without ANY evidence to back it up, is a huge RED FLAG and raises a lot of questions.

I expect to see a lot of this during primary season. Especially from the established Republicans looking to get re-elected.

You don’t want to elect that guy! It’s amateur hour!

This guy did something horrible. He’s a conservative. Therefore, all conservatives are guilty.

This is the kind of silliness that Democrats and Liberals engage in. Guilt by association.

Who cares that they knew about this beforehand? Campaigns have lot’s of people working for them. But a campaign isn’t a person. If Rick and Fred both work for a campaign and say different things, that’s because Rick and Fred have different knowledge.

It’s a real shame when our elections come down to this. Some guy did a horrible thing, therefore, we will do our best to connect a politician seeking election to this horrible thing. What, can’t do that? Then let’s figure out a way to attack their response to this horrible thing.

Hilariously, RedState (which is, embarrassingly, all-in for McDaniel) is now shrieking about how this was a “coordinated hit” on McDaniel. Um…no. Your preferred candidate just attracts bulgey-eyed sleazebag “activist” types who think it’s cool to kick down every single door of decency in pursuit of some half-arsed political goal, that’s all.

Sen. Cochran should not be accusing the McDaniel campaign without proof. He’s not covering himself with glory.
Cindy Munford on May 19, 2014 at 11:01 AM

So? McDaniel’s people left themselves open to this by not going after that whack job more forcefully. They’ve known he was a ticking time bomb for months. It sucks for McDaniel’s non-crazy supporters that this happened, but sometimes you draw a bad hand. The sloppy coverup by his campaign doesn’t help matters at all.

It doesn’t make Cochran any better, but McDaniel is now in huge trouble. If he can find a way out of this, that will be proof enough of his political ability.

o pleeaassse. Haley Bubba …… and then there’s Thaddy boinking his pudgy pal out in the open in DC while his betrothed withers in bed.
Why would you defend these people like they are men (and women) of honor?

If this guy broke any laws then he should face the music. All the attention, however, should not be on what laws the blogger violated at the expense of ignoring the story. People have not seen cochran in Mississippi for years. His wife is warehoused in some home while he lives the good life in washington dc with his girlfriend. I guess republicans no longer believe in until death due us part anymore. At least divorce the poor woman if you are no longer going to visit her and have taken up with another woman. Cochran is the poster boy for the professional politicians that have taken over the republican party and it’s leadership. Slimey, spineless leaches. At least the democrats actually have an ideology, despite how insane and stupid it is, that they seem to believe in and fight for.

I can’t even imagine how many people candidates meet during elections and Sen. McDaniel is suppose to know who is and isn’t a nut? And it is also the kind of thing I would imagine a team would protect a candidate from. In the mean time why is the Adult Center getting a pass? Alzheimer Wings are usually pretty darned secure.

I remember a sad story about Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, her husband was in the same situation as Mrs. Cochran and he not only no longer remembered Justice O’Connor but he had fallen in love with a lady in the facility he was living. I don’t want to be unsympathetic to Sen. Cochran but he sure could be handling this a lot better.

If conspiracy charges are actually leveled against someone, that could answer the major question. Until that happens speculations about Daniels or Democratic Party machinations are really premature. Side issues such as this pop up at election time but really should not be determinative of ones vote.

The NRSC has an targeted interest in thwarting McDaniel, who has been supported by the Senate Conservatives Fund and the Club for Growth. The NRSC should be ashamed of itself in jumping on the trashing-wagon to support Cochran, who should have retired some time ago.
onlineanalyst on May 19, 2014 at 10:11 AM

Sounds like a conspiracy theory to me. The NRSC has supported every candidate who came out against the establishment candidate. They have no motive in destroying Conservatives. /sarc

#1 … you barely “vieled” your opinion that Cochran is justified in his adultery. In fact – you completely rationalized him putting it to this other woman while the woman he made vows to sits and rots in a nursing home.

#2 … Cochran’s been in office TOO LONG … he’s got a sick wife – and he needs to attend to HER. Time for him to go.

#3 … You’re too quick to make a connection between the McDaniel campaign and this idiot.

#4 … At this point – this is a non-story until you get more accurate information. You wasted your time writing this – unless your goal was to inflate Thad Cochran … in which case, er okay – but is that really your job?

I’m sorry Ed. I would not be the least bit surprised to find out the the corrupt gopE machine hired this nut.

You’re not “sorry” at all. You’re a tinfoil hatted nutball for hurling the accusation. Kelly’s twitter feed is full of McDaniel support, going back several months. To accuse establishment Republicans of precipitating this incident is Truther-grade douchebaggery.

KingGold on May 19, 2014 at 10:56 AM

I consider it unlikely that this was ‘orchestrated’ by the Cochran campaign.

But boy, are they ever trying to exploit it!

Which is nearly as sleazy as the guy who exploited Thad Cochran’s wife for political purposes.

A new Citizens United Political Victory Fund poll shows that six-term incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) is slightly trailing his Tea Party challenger state Sen. Chris McDaniel just a couple weeks from election day in Mississippi. The election is on June 3.

The poll, conducted by pollster Kellyanne Conway of the Polling Company, Inc., found that McDaniel is beating Cochran 43 percent to 39 percent, respectively.

Once again, the sad remnants of the tea party movement prove they just can’t handle the vetting process.

No one could stop Kelly from being a jerk, but sitting on the info for three weeks and then denying any knowledge is pure Amateur Hour stuff. Once you’ve told that first big lie, you’ve lost your credibility.

←→

But a big hat tip to all the conspiracy nuts, wacko birds, and assorted crazies who think this is a “GOP Establishment” plot. You are proving every day that you are quite insane, the way-out lunatic fringe. We’re laughing at you, but we are also concerned for your safety. Please remember to wear your helmets over your tin foil hats when going outdoors, mmmkay?

←→

I think Sen. Cochran and the NRSC look just as bad exploiting this without proof. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

You are aware that anyone can contact YouTube to have an inappropriate video taken down, right? And I do not think that Sen. Cochran had anything to do with the video but I think an appropriate reaction would have been to thank Sen. McDaniel for his concern and well wishes, until he had something that implicated that campaign. Instead here he and the NRSC are, acting like Democrats which is our complaint about them in the first place.

Once again, the sad remnants of the tea party movement prove they just can’t handle the vetting process.

No one could stop Kelly from being a jerk, but sitting on the info for three weeks and then denying any knowledge is pure Amateur Hour stuff. Once you’ve told that first big lie, you’ve lost your credibility.

Someone need to watch just one video by this “blogger”, and then look up the definition of “leftist”.

corona79 on May 19, 2014 at 3:13 PM

I have to admit, I misunderstood the story here. (turns out it’s yet another “establishment” thing.) I did skim his blog and superficially; it looked nuts, so I equated it with lefty kooks. My bad, seems like the kook in question isn’t “leftist”. That doesn’t mean he isn’t garbage if he did what he is accused of, and it’s pretty clear that he did.

You are right on which makes your initial statement that you “like” ed a little confusing. The position here is typical of the fence sitting and post modernism displayed by ed, or the people he pays to write his posts, on a daily basis.